Great article as ever Dom. While I was still working at LHR as a 'seasonal' it was interesting that as the one group that did not do officer safety training or carry any baton/cuffs type of kit, that we were the ones more used to facing off with violence. If we had anyone expected who might kick off it was always us who lay in wait. The other staff (except for the cops who had jumped ship and joined BF) were not used to confrontation.
It all seems a bit one sided in that nowadays we have the 'scrotes' prepared to use violence and no one else prepared to confront it. Society is in trouble.
I was astonished to hear that the charging threshold for cops was different from the public and that it had a specific percentage. I had simply never come across this before. When was this introduced? Why has it changed? Are other types of person subject to this obvious injustice, for example prosecutors, judges or politicians?
There's loads of variables in the CPS prosecution guidelines. However, the threshold was fifty percent for most of my career. That figure can go up and down depending on the 'public interest' test part of the code. However, in my experience, the CPS usually took the view the public interest against police officers was especially acute. However, 5%?? Blimey. That means any case where there's a chance of conviction is GOING to be charged. Yes, it should apply to judges etc but usually only in connection with their duties. Police officers are held to the standard across the board. Now, you also need to remember the 'two bites of the cherry.' If IOPC can't convict a policeman they can order their force to investigate them for misconduct, and instead get them sacked. It's no wonder coppers are wary.
The threshold for the CPS to charge remains the same for police officers and the public. I couldn't find the numbers 5% and 35%, but they appear to relate to the new government increasing the threshold for the IOPC to refer cases to the CPS. The low threshold does several bad things: it clutters the CPS with hopeless cases, creates needless stress for officers, delays all cases, damages further the reputation for incompetence of the IOPC and creates a falsely inflated impression of police misbehaviour.
And the public wonder why the police are reluctant to use force? An insanely aggressive complaints system coupled with a media that absolutely hates police using force. We've arrived at what is happening in some American cities. FIDO, f**k it, drive on.
From my POV as being retired for 17 years nothing has changed. The British public as a whole are incredibly squeamish and completely hypocritical about police use of force. Look at everyone's favourite tabloid, it will quite happily show a video and criticise the police for being 'woke' and then when an officer does get stuck in it will scream about police brutality. Truly a no win situation. I see there are the usual comments about police being soft, look at it this way, when virtually every police/public interaction is filmed I fully understand why officers are reluctant to use force. Given the state of our media would you want to be an internet sensation? I'm not surprised officers are reluctant to use force. I'd love a senior officer or politician to explain that police use of force is inherently messy and not pretty to look at but I'm not holding my breath.
I'll finish with a quote I've shamelessly borrowed from elsewhere 'never take advice about dealing with violent people from people who've never dealt with violent people;'.
I see people running round the police all the time. From my limited perspective, the police see to treat street level crooks with kid gloves. I don’t want a return to the SPG (that ages me) but they seem to behave more like social workers these days.
The scary truth always was criminal sanctions don't deter criminals, for the reasons I describe. Arrest is a deterrent of sorts, as 12 hours at a police station is a pain in the arse for most of these kids. But magistrates court? No way. Most of the police are kids with less than five years in. They've been taught to be social workers, on the whole. The good coppers, even the young ones, have to watch their backs. They'll be up on TikTok and sacked if they're too 'robust'. It's a familiar story. Being an old softie, I just wonder if what will come on the next turn of the wheel will be uber-SPG like by virtue of necessity. And, like you, I'd prefer for that not to happen (I grew up watching black marias lined up near my house on football Saturdays and remember the SPG too!).
They do seem like kids. There was a dead body on the towpath a few months ago. A few hours later. Police tape. A copper at each end. No one around. The path understandably closed off.
I ambled up the copper. A young lad as you say. What’s happened? Can’t say. Why not? I live here. I’m not asking for intimate details of the case. Just a simple one line sketch about what has been going on in my neighbourhood.
I can’t tell you. It’s the Data Protection Act. I looked at him. This is a towpath. I said. There’s no computer here. He just shrugged. I left before I got annoyed.
It was just insulting. There’s a tent there now. Surrounded by shit. Where three junkies live. This is a heritage site. A tourist attraction. People run down there. Take their kids. Nothing has been done. It’s just left there. Like a refugee camp for drug addicts. More will come.
The job seem to target soppy school children for their recruitment who have a degree but have never had an argument before. They are usually vegan, 5’5” and 7 stone soaking wet.
In doing so they aim to “professionalise” the police, I believe it’s more of a trade than a profession.
I provided a well deserved CATE to an known errant youth, whom I captured destroying market stalls in sunny London E1. Having administered said CATE, errant youth said "Eff you, I'm telling my dad" Unbeknown to him, I knew his address, so took him home and gave in into the hands of his father, a burly docker with light fingered tendencies and large fists. Having told him why I bought his son home, he politely said "Thank you officer. Sorry for 'is behaviour. 'E won't do it again" As the door shut, I heard the whimpering of a freshly beaten teenager, and words "What the eff do you think you were doing, I don't need coppers at my 'ouse" The errant youth never came to our attention again, and probably went on to live a long and fulfilled life outside of the prison estate, because of the combined forces of Plod, CATE and Dad's fists.
Read a 25 page article today about need to look at those subject to pol surveillance, all of them, are victims. Even Grade 1 Terrorists, OCG heroine dealers, child slave rings, all victims. To be treated as victims. The need to reveal to Subjects of surveillance that they've been surveilled. To speak to them and ask them about their feelings. Three professors wrote this inane drivel. Two sentences grudgingly admitting that sometimes it's a good thing. Perhaps a paragraph in total. 26 pages basically saying police 'covert surveillance' is a morally bad thing and I quote, dirty. I had to put it down and walk away. After nice walk I manged to finish it. It does make one wonder. Wtf are these people on?
Police violence as its almost universally called in academia I've noticed. Not that any of them have ever done a day in blue. It's a collective mindset. An overt bias.
I’ve heard two tales recently about a force up north. They have female only Public and Personal Safety Training (baton and cuff in old money) for those who may have had adverse experiences with males in the past. And new recruits can be issued with an armband which denotes they should not be subject to confrontation in role plays due to neurodiversity issues. Gone are the days when you called for help (not very often) and a group of people arrived by van and blocked out the sun by their sheer size, all of them relishing getting stuck in. Got to love TAG Units.
The job takes so much out of your mental heath in the time you serve, how can you expect to perform if you’re not robust at the start? Setting them up to fail.
Great article Dom. Thank you.
Great article as ever Dom. While I was still working at LHR as a 'seasonal' it was interesting that as the one group that did not do officer safety training or carry any baton/cuffs type of kit, that we were the ones more used to facing off with violence. If we had anyone expected who might kick off it was always us who lay in wait. The other staff (except for the cops who had jumped ship and joined BF) were not used to confrontation.
It all seems a bit one sided in that nowadays we have the 'scrotes' prepared to use violence and no one else prepared to confront it. Society is in trouble.
I was astonished to hear that the charging threshold for cops was different from the public and that it had a specific percentage. I had simply never come across this before. When was this introduced? Why has it changed? Are other types of person subject to this obvious injustice, for example prosecutors, judges or politicians?
There's loads of variables in the CPS prosecution guidelines. However, the threshold was fifty percent for most of my career. That figure can go up and down depending on the 'public interest' test part of the code. However, in my experience, the CPS usually took the view the public interest against police officers was especially acute. However, 5%?? Blimey. That means any case where there's a chance of conviction is GOING to be charged. Yes, it should apply to judges etc but usually only in connection with their duties. Police officers are held to the standard across the board. Now, you also need to remember the 'two bites of the cherry.' If IOPC can't convict a policeman they can order their force to investigate them for misconduct, and instead get them sacked. It's no wonder coppers are wary.
Thanks for replying so promptly. Can I ask where you came across the change from 35% to 5%?
The threshold for the CPS to charge remains the same for police officers and the public. I couldn't find the numbers 5% and 35%, but they appear to relate to the new government increasing the threshold for the IOPC to refer cases to the CPS. The low threshold does several bad things: it clutters the CPS with hopeless cases, creates needless stress for officers, delays all cases, damages further the reputation for incompetence of the IOPC and creates a falsely inflated impression of police misbehaviour.
It was in the BBC article I linked, I think
And the public wonder why the police are reluctant to use force? An insanely aggressive complaints system coupled with a media that absolutely hates police using force. We've arrived at what is happening in some American cities. FIDO, f**k it, drive on.
From my POV as being retired for 17 years nothing has changed. The British public as a whole are incredibly squeamish and completely hypocritical about police use of force. Look at everyone's favourite tabloid, it will quite happily show a video and criticise the police for being 'woke' and then when an officer does get stuck in it will scream about police brutality. Truly a no win situation. I see there are the usual comments about police being soft, look at it this way, when virtually every police/public interaction is filmed I fully understand why officers are reluctant to use force. Given the state of our media would you want to be an internet sensation? I'm not surprised officers are reluctant to use force. I'd love a senior officer or politician to explain that police use of force is inherently messy and not pretty to look at but I'm not holding my breath.
I'll finish with a quote I've shamelessly borrowed from elsewhere 'never take advice about dealing with violent people from people who've never dealt with violent people;'.
Great piece as ever Dom. BTW. Thanks !
Thanks!
I see people running round the police all the time. From my limited perspective, the police see to treat street level crooks with kid gloves. I don’t want a return to the SPG (that ages me) but they seem to behave more like social workers these days.
The scary truth always was criminal sanctions don't deter criminals, for the reasons I describe. Arrest is a deterrent of sorts, as 12 hours at a police station is a pain in the arse for most of these kids. But magistrates court? No way. Most of the police are kids with less than five years in. They've been taught to be social workers, on the whole. The good coppers, even the young ones, have to watch their backs. They'll be up on TikTok and sacked if they're too 'robust'. It's a familiar story. Being an old softie, I just wonder if what will come on the next turn of the wheel will be uber-SPG like by virtue of necessity. And, like you, I'd prefer for that not to happen (I grew up watching black marias lined up near my house on football Saturdays and remember the SPG too!).
They do seem like kids. There was a dead body on the towpath a few months ago. A few hours later. Police tape. A copper at each end. No one around. The path understandably closed off.
I ambled up the copper. A young lad as you say. What’s happened? Can’t say. Why not? I live here. I’m not asking for intimate details of the case. Just a simple one line sketch about what has been going on in my neighbourhood.
I can’t tell you. It’s the Data Protection Act. I looked at him. This is a towpath. I said. There’s no computer here. He just shrugged. I left before I got annoyed.
It was just insulting. There’s a tent there now. Surrounded by shit. Where three junkies live. This is a heritage site. A tourist attraction. People run down there. Take their kids. Nothing has been done. It’s just left there. Like a refugee camp for drug addicts. More will come.
London. Policing. Both seem beyond repair.
Great article - very cathartic.
The job seem to target soppy school children for their recruitment who have a degree but have never had an argument before. They are usually vegan, 5’5” and 7 stone soaking wet.
In doing so they aim to “professionalise” the police, I believe it’s more of a trade than a profession.
I provided a well deserved CATE to an known errant youth, whom I captured destroying market stalls in sunny London E1. Having administered said CATE, errant youth said "Eff you, I'm telling my dad" Unbeknown to him, I knew his address, so took him home and gave in into the hands of his father, a burly docker with light fingered tendencies and large fists. Having told him why I bought his son home, he politely said "Thank you officer. Sorry for 'is behaviour. 'E won't do it again" As the door shut, I heard the whimpering of a freshly beaten teenager, and words "What the eff do you think you were doing, I don't need coppers at my 'ouse" The errant youth never came to our attention again, and probably went on to live a long and fulfilled life outside of the prison estate, because of the combined forces of Plod, CATE and Dad's fists.
Read a 25 page article today about need to look at those subject to pol surveillance, all of them, are victims. Even Grade 1 Terrorists, OCG heroine dealers, child slave rings, all victims. To be treated as victims. The need to reveal to Subjects of surveillance that they've been surveilled. To speak to them and ask them about their feelings. Three professors wrote this inane drivel. Two sentences grudgingly admitting that sometimes it's a good thing. Perhaps a paragraph in total. 26 pages basically saying police 'covert surveillance' is a morally bad thing and I quote, dirty. I had to put it down and walk away. After nice walk I manged to finish it. It does make one wonder. Wtf are these people on?
Am I allowed to suggest they are onanists?
They're certainly something though word came to my mind was little more succinct and Anglo saxon.
Police violence as its almost universally called in academia I've noticed. Not that any of them have ever done a day in blue. It's a collective mindset. An overt bias.
If I have to choose between being able to deploy a well earned slap/ CATE or the Quangocracy / Human Rights Industrial Complex, I’m with you….. 😂
On the money again mate!
Had a couple of CATE’s in my youth - properly deserved and well executed by an appropriate agent 🤣
Hope your keeping well!
I’ve heard two tales recently about a force up north. They have female only Public and Personal Safety Training (baton and cuff in old money) for those who may have had adverse experiences with males in the past. And new recruits can be issued with an armband which denotes they should not be subject to confrontation in role plays due to neurodiversity issues. Gone are the days when you called for help (not very often) and a group of people arrived by van and blocked out the sun by their sheer size, all of them relishing getting stuck in. Got to love TAG Units.
Great article Dom. Keep up the good work.
I've heard about the armbands. I thought it might be exaggeration, but then again VR headset indoctrination is a thing so, hey.
The job takes so much out of your mental heath in the time you serve, how can you expect to perform if you’re not robust at the start? Setting them up to fail.
Great essay. My son was a cop/detective here in the states and it's the same bullshit. Keep writing.
As a NYPD captain once put it "There is more Law and Order at the end of a nightstick than in a hundred court judgements"
The same Centurion:
“YOU’RE FUCKING NICKED ME OLD BEAUTY.” gives “GET YR TROUSERS ON, YR NICKED.” competition as the best caution ever!